Skip to main content

The J-Bone Zone, Vol 4: Elbow Status, PN Ranking, Hazing

You know him, you adore him and Justin De Fratus is back in the J-Bone Zone. The righty reliever joins PhoulBallz.com live and direct, once again, from Clearwater, FL to offer his thoughts from inside Phillies spring training.

The 24-year-old reliever went 6-3 with 15 saves, a 2.99 ERA and 99 strike outs in 75 1/3 innings in his time with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley last year before making his big league debut in September and holding opponents to a .083 batting average in 5 appearances. Heading forward, De Fratus, an 11th round draft choice in 2007, hopes to be an impact contributor in the Phillies bullpen for years to come.

In the latest edition of The J-Bone Zone, Justin talks about the status of his elbow, what being ranked highly on prospect lists means to him, the team's mentality on hazing younger players and more. Read ahead for another edition of The J-Bone Zone.


On the status of his improving elbow, which was sore and kept him out of action for a few weeks (Justin began a throwing program a week ago)...

So far, everything feels good. I went out there (on Monday) and did 60 throws and it was fine. It's hard though, because I want to throw and I really want to get after it, but each time I gotta realize that my goal is to get healthy and not run into the same problem again, so I'm taking it slowly. I didn't have a long toss program (earlier in spring) because of the elbow soreness, so this is going to be my off-season throwing, pretty much.


On how soon he could see game action and the potential for this set back to have a lasting effect on his season...

I am not sure of exactly when I could pitch in a game. It's really going to be based off of how I feel and communication with Scott Sheridan, the trainer. Right now it's kind of a day-to-day thing. Realistically, I would say, for me getting on the mound I would say- a couple weeks.

I don't think this will have any effect on my full season. I'm not going to get back into games till I'm ready, so we're not going to take a gamble and make me go before I'm ready. It wasn't anything major. Once I go, I'll be healthy, so I don't think this will effect my season at all.


On the recognition of being ranking #5 for the past two years on PhilliesNation.com's prospect rankings...

It's an honor, I'm not going to lie, it's definitely cool, but it's something more for my family and friends. They really enjoy seeing that kind of stuff about me. Obviously, my goal isn't to be ranked on a prospect list, it's to help the Major League team. It's definitely cool to see that people are taking note of my work, but the ultimate goal is to get to the big leagues and stay there and help that team win and bring a championship to Philadelphia.


On how long he has dreamed of being a professional baseball player...

This is all I've ever wanted to do, as long as I can remember. I mean I played soccer for one year and I hated it. I tried other sports, basketball- I hated it. Baseball is all I've ever wanted to do and I've been fortunate enough, and God has blessed me with talent, and so far I've had enough health and gotten enough breaks that I've been able to succeed this far in baseball. So, it's something that I've always wanted to do. Nothing else ever even crossed my mind for a career path.


On the absence of hazing of young players in spring training...

There's not much of anything like that. There's a lot of youngsters up in camp right now, including myself. The veteran guys are really cool. And in talking with a couple of them, I asked them specifically about, "You guys don't really give anybody a hard time here. What's the deal with that?" And the answer I got was, "Well, the way we look at it is that you guys are a part of the team and we want you as comfortable as possible because if you're comfortable, you play well and you help us win."

So, the goal with our team is to win. And the veteran guys are not going to waste time on hazing guys. They're all about business and they want to make us as comfortable as possible so that we feel we're a part of the team and we can play up to our potential.

Now, regarding the once-a-year rookie hazing that goes on with the Phillies each September, above everything else, that's really about making us part of the team too. It's really your initiation and that's welcomed by every rookie. It's a badge of honor, is what it is. It's just like that pink back pack...you want to wear it. You don't look at it as hazing. You think, "This is the way it is. This is how baseball is. This is part of the game." And as weird as it sounds, I wanted to be in that little dominatrix outfit. That means I'm there!

Check back throughout the preseason for more exclusive content from Justin De Fratus.
_________________________________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Diekman a Late Addition to Mesa AFL Roster

On Wednesday, Phillies lefty pitching prospect Jacob Diekman made his Arizona Fall League debut. Diekman, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft, was assigned to Mesa late, in order to increase his 2010 innings total, according to Mesa hitting coach Mark Parent, who managed Diekman in Lakewood this past season. Diekman, 23, posted a 2-0 record with 1.90 ERA in 21 games with Class A Lakewood before being promoted to High-A Clearwater on June 24th. In 24 games with the Threshers, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Combined, Diekman tossed 55 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average against at two levels in 2010. However, after not pitching in an official game since he threw a shutout inning to wrap up the Clearwater season on September 5th, Diekman was unable to record an out as all seven batters he faced reached base, six with hits, one on an error. Diekman was charged with 5 earned runs in the outing. Diekman had spent time at instructional ball from

McGwire Stays Phony, Despite Admitting Drug Use

Mark McGwire made an effort to publicly come clean today, admitting to the world that he took performance enhancing drugs during his playing career. Steroids and human growth hormones were among the drugs that McGwire admitted to using. MLB Network featured a one on one interview with Bob Costas and McGwire on Monday evening. The broadcast was virtually garbage, thanks to McGwire. Ahead is a list of quotes from McGwire's interview. McGwire repeatedly stated his point of view that there were no dishonorable intentions involved when taking steroids, and that he was merely using them as a means to recover from varying ailments. When asked if he felt like he cheated... "As I look back now...I can see how people would say that. As far as the talent goes and the hand-eye coordination, the ability, the genetics I was given...I don't see it." "I did not take this for any strength purposes." Denial. Read on for similar B.S. He whined about the abuse he's taken at

Bubby Rossman's long awaited MLB debut

Eight years after he initially signed a professional contract with the Dodgers and a five-year stretch playing away from affiliated ball, Bubby Rossman became a major leaguer on Wednesday. Added as a substitute for pitcher Kyle Gibson, who is restricted from travel to Canada for the Phillies' series in Toronto, due to his medical inability to be vaccinated from COVID-19, Rossman took the mound for the first time in the majors. Rossman, who was a 22nd round draft selection in 2014 had pitched in 200 professional games before his one-inning outing in the Phillies' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. In 27 appearances with Double-A Reading this year, the 30-year-old right-hander has performed well, tallying a 2-2 record with a save, a 3.32 ERA and a .200 batting average against.   The embedded video below features a media session with Rossman from prior to opening day this year, in which the California native discusses his journey through independent baseball and back to affiliated ball wi